최매지의 민족운동과 사회활동

Abstract

Choi Maeji(1896~1983), who went to jail for anti - Japanese independence activities conducted through the Korean Patriotic Women's Party during the Japanese occupation, developed educational activities and enlightenment campaigns centered on Jinnampo. After liberation, she started a kindergarten movement and enlightenment campaign in Andong. Also she served as Chair of the Andong branch of the Independence Promotion Patriotic Women's Association and pursued full-scale political activities by running for the South Korean Interim Legislative Assembly and the first National Assembly election. After the Korean War, Choi did social work and volunteer work through Daehan Buinhwe, the Korea Woman's Christian Temperance Union, and the YWCA. Choi's life can be classified into three keywords. ‘Nation’, ‘Women’, ‘Christianity’. The series of activities she engaged in, such as the nationalist and enlightenment movement during the Japanese occupation, national reconstruction activities in liberation space, and social work after the Korean War, are representive of the activities of Christian women, Christian. Women activists such as Choi regarded the establishment of democratic government and gender equality as the same concept after liberation. And they tried to establish women's rights by directly participating in parliament and government agencies. After the Korean War, Christian women focused more on women's relief and social work. Although it is true that women's organizations played a role of supporters of the regime after liberation, Christian women stood at the center of the women's movement, and they made steady efforts to improve women's rights and to relieve women as socially weak people.